Born of a provocative mating of art and music, DIRTY BABY is guitarist/composer Nels Cline and poet/producer David Breskin’s visionary recontextualization of Ed Ruscha's "censor strip" paintings. This sumptuous double-CD box set includes more than an hour-and-a-half of new music by Cline for two large ensembles, paired booklets with reproductions of 66 Ruscha pictures, and insightful liner notes by Nels in a third booklet graced by session photos. Supporting musicians include Jon Brion; Nels Cline Singers cohorts Scott Amendola and Devin Hoff; Nels’ twin brother Alex Cline; and some of L.A.'s most illustrious instrumentalists and improvisers. Cline's orchestrations offer a panoply of sound and vision: from pedal steel and cigarbox guitars to harmonica, banjo ukulele, violin, cello, saxophone and trumpet, all the way through Cline’s mysterious Quintronics Drum Buddy. In both composition and execution, this is a recording of ambition, scope and surprise: it sheds new light (and new sound) on Ruscha's groundbreaking images, and provides a major feast in its own right.

Track Listing (click linked titles for mp3)

Side A

1.

PART I

[4:11]

2.

PART II

[3:38]

3.

PART III

[7:13]

4.

PART IV

[3:31]

5.

PART V

[10:52]

6.

PART VI

[12:38]

Side B

1.

IN GOD WE TRUST

[1:40]

2.

HI THERE, MY OLD FRIEND

[1:31]

3.

IF I WAS YOU I'D DO
JUST LIKE I TELL YOU TO DO

[8:08]

4.

DO AS I SAY OR...

[1:14]

5.

NO MERCY

[1:49]

6.

DO AS TOLD OR SUFFER

[1:16]

7.

AGREE TO OUR TERMS OR PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A BLAST FURNACE

[0:55]

8.

YOUR A DEAD MAN

[3:14]

9.

HEY YOU WANT TO SLEEP WITH THE FISHES?

[1:22]

10.

A COLUMBIAN NECKLACE FOR YOU

[0:43]

11.

NOTE WE HAVE ALREADY GOT RID OF SEVERAL LIKE YOU-One Was Found in River Just Recently

[1:22]

12.

BE CAUTIOUS ELSE WE BE BANGIN ON YOU

[3:34]

13.

You Wont Know WHEN You Wont Know WHERE You Wont Know WHO You Wont Know WHY

[1:27]

14.

IT'S PAYBACK TIME

[2:13]

15.

I'M GOING TO LEAVE MORE NOTES AND I'M GOING TO KICK MORE ASS

[0:47]

16.

YOU CROSS ME I WANNA SEE BLOOD

[2:02]

17.

I HEARD YOU MOVED TO PAHRUMP, NEVADA- You Cannot Escape

[1:14]

18.

LITTLE SNITCHES LIKE YOU END UP IN DUMSPTERS ALL ACROSS TOWN

[0:59]

19.

I'LL BE GETTING OUT SOON AND I HAVEN'T FORGOT YOUR TESTIMONY PUT ME IN HERE

[2:37]

20.

YOU TALK YOU GET KILLED

[2:05]

21.

DO NOT LET THE INFORMATION BE KNOWN TO ANY PERSON OR YOU DIE

[1:25]

22.

DON'T THREATEN ME WITH YOUR THREATS

[2:31]

23.

I JUST MIGHT ACT UGLY IF YOU TALK

[0:53]

24.

WHEN I'M RELEASED I'M SMOKING A STRAIGHT LINE TO YOU. GOT IT?

[1:18]

25.

WANT TO GET TO KNOW MY BOILING POINT?

[0:38]

26.

YOU DIRTY ROTTEN BITCH

[0:43]

27.

YOU WILL EAT HOT LEAD

[1:16]

28.

I CAN'T TAKE IT NO MORE

[0:28]

29.

I MIGHT JUST ACT UGLY IF YOU GET UP ON THAT STAND AND SAY SOMETHING UNPLEASANT TO MY EARS